Season 1, episode 21 Victoria is feeling nervous and scared about leaving her small town and going to university in a big city. Her friend Piper doesn’t seem scared at all. Victoria learns that some of Piper’s confidence comes from her success in a martial arts class. Victoria decides to give it a try and she learns that small girls like her can be fierce opponents. LITTLE VICTORIA There is a young woman named Victoria. Victoria is not a big girl. She is very short and very thin. Victoria is 18 years old. She is preparing to go to college. Victoria is excited to go to college, but she is also ..read more

Season 9, episode 10 Many kings and queens are given nicknames along with their titles. Juana was the third child of Isabel and Fernando “the Catholics”. Her nickname, “la loca”, or “the crazy one” came from her dramatic outbursts, often related to her husband, Felipe “the Handsome”. The question remains, was Juana really loca? Or was she the victim of circumstances and manipulations well out of her control? This story is told in the third person and the past tense. Important vocabulary in the story includes: “heredero” (heir), “nacimiento” (birth), “rey” (king), “reina” (queen) and “poder” (p ..read more

Season 9, episode 9 “Inca” or “Sapa Inca” is the title given to the kings of the Incan Empire. The incas did not have a written language, rather they had a rich oral tradition. Due to the lack of records, it is hard to know when exactly the Incan state, Tahuantinsuyo began. However, oral tradition tells of the Sun God, Inti, and his desire for a civilized people in the Andes mountains. He sent his son, Manco Capac, to make that dream a reality. Thus Manco Capac became the first Inca. This story is told in the third person and the past tense. Important vocabulary in the story includes: “gente ..read more

Season 1, episode 20 Ronaldo comes from a family obsessed with football (or soccer), so it is no surprise that he wants to be a famous football star like his “tocayo”, or namesake, Cristiano Ronaldo. But Ronaldo only wants to play front and center, hogging the ball and making all the goals. He needs to learn the importance of each position to truly become a great player.  THE GREAT RONALDO Ronaldo has a dream: he wants to be a professional soccer player. He loves soccer. He loves the emotion of the game. He loves the technicality of the players. Ronaldo is obsessed with soccer. Ronaldo’s ..read more

Season 9, episode 8 Sign Language is a beautiful form of communication. For many years, the Deaf community was denied education, in large part because of Aristotle. Thankfully, many people recognized the ability of deaf people to communicate using signs. Sign Language became documented and standardized. However, due to dictatorship and revolution, in 1980s Nicaragua, sign language didn’t really exist. So, a group of deaf students created their own language from nothing. This story is told in the third person and the past tense. Important vocabulary in the story includes: “lengua de señas/lengu ..read more

Season 9, episode 5 Puerto Rico is an anomaly. After being visited by Christopher Columbus in 1493, it fell under Spanish rule. England, Portugal, and France attempted invasions, but Puerto Rico did not break free from Spain until 1898 when the Treaty of Paris ended the Spanish-American war and gave Puerto Rico to the United States. Today it remains an unincorporated territory of the US, but that could change in the near future.  This story is told in the third person and the present and past tense. Important vocabulary in the story includes: “ciudadano” (citizen), “estadounidense” (Ameri ..read more

Season 1, episode 19 Today’s story connects to episode 9. Perhaps you will remember “Miguel’s Little Lie”. Miguel wanted to go to a rock concert with his friend Wes, but, due to his lying, ended up going to a classical music concert with his mom and sister. Little did he know how much that concert would change his life. He thought rock music was the only sound worth listening to, but after hearing violins, flutes, trumpets, and tubas, he has a new appreciation for instruments. I hope you enjoy “Miguel’s Music.” MIGUEL’S MUSIC Miguel is a 12 year-old boy. He is usually honest, but one day he te ..read more

Season 9, episode 5 Diego Maradona is one of the greatest footballers, or soccer players, of all time. He started playing professionally just before his 16th birthday. He was already a popular player when he arrived at the 1986 World Cup in Mexico. However, it would be his performance here, especially in the quarterfinal game against England, that would cement his name in history. This story is told in the third person and the past tense. Important vocabulary in the story includes: “ganó” (won/beat), “partido” (game), “pelota” (ball), “golpeó” (hit), and “Inglaterra” (England). Maradona y la m ..read more

Season 1, episode 18 Luisa loves winter. She likes the cold because it means snow and ice. She skates on the ice and plays in the snow. There is only one problem: it hasn’t snowed yet! This simple story is told in the present tense and focuses on the words “snow”, “ice”, “cold”, “snowflake”, and “frost”. A WINTER STORY There is a girl named Luisa. Luisa lives in Canada. In Canada it is cold in the months of November, December, January, February, and March. The cold season is called winter. Luisa likes winter. She likes winter’s cold temperature. When it is cold, the lakes turn to ice. Luisa sk ..read more

Season 9, episode 4 When the Old Christians Rugby Club chartered a flight from Uruguay to Chile, they were excited at the prospect of their upcoming match. The 45 passengers included the team and some family and friends. The plane hit turbulence over the Andes mountains resulting in a crash that would prove fatal for many on board. The remaining survivors were trapped on a snowy mountain, not knowing their fate. This story does discuss death and other disturbing images, so listener discretion is advised. This story is told in the third person and the past tense. Important vocabulary in the sto ..read more